EM Alliance News

Preparedness....

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) defines preparedness as "a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating, and taking corrective action in an effort to ensure effective coordination during incident response." This 'preparedness cycle' is one element of a broader National Preparedness System to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.
Posted: Dec 6, 2011

FEMA- Preparedness Link

Report Claims U.S. Still Unprepared for Catastrophe

NEW YORK — Even after 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, most Americans have a false sense of security when it comes to their readiness for a natural disaster or major terrorist attack, according to researchers at Columbia University.

A new survey by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health found that slightly more than half of all families had no plan for what to do in an emergency like a big hurricane or earthquake. Many of those who did have plans said they lacked some or all of the items that experts commonly recommend that people keep on hand for a disaster, including two days of food and water, a flashlight, spare batteries and a list of key phone numbers
Posted: Sep 12, 2011

EMS1.com Story

When Disaster Strikes…

A larger-than-normal number of devastating events have plagued the U.S. landscape throughout the early part of 2011.

While parts of the Southwest have been under severe drought conditions for months, the Northern Plains and Central United States have suffered record-breaking floods. Beginning in North Dakota and travelling the entire river basin to the Gulf of Mexico, the flooding from the Mississippi River and its tributaries had crests never before seen. The 48-foot crest in Memphis on May 10 was the highest since the floods of the 1930s.
Posted: Jul 1, 2011

IAFC Article

eAssist Now Available in the EM Alliance Resource Center

Do you have an important question you need to ask one of our network's professionals? eAssist is a fast and easy way to submit your questions to our team through the EM Alliance Resource Center. Go to Resources tab at the top of this page to sign in or register for the EM Alliance Resource Center and start using eAssist today! Be sure to check out Frequently Asked Questions for an answer you may be looking for.
Posted: Jun 14, 2010

Register for the EM Alliance Resource Center

The EM Alliance Emergency Management Resource Center is an online portal that allows users to access numerous documents to assist the facility to become more prepared for emergencies and disasters. Many of the tools on the Resource Center are user-friendly Word documents that may be downloaded, customized, and used within a facility immediately.
Posted: Jul 1, 2010

Resource Center Details and Pricing

Is Your Facility Really Prepared?

Is your facility prepared to adequately address an emergency situation? The worst time to think about disaster preparedness planning is after a crisis has occurred. Many adverse events can be prevented or handled more efficiently through the implementation of better planning programs. EM Alliance has the tools needed for disaster planning and recovery, including Disaster Preparedness, Fire-Life Safety and Security Vulnerability Assessments.
Posted: Jan 21, 2010

Partners

EM Alliance is a partnership of four companies specializing in professional liability risk management, fire and life safety, emergency medical services and security administration.

Pendulum, LLC

Ric Henry, President
www.WeArePendulum.com

Richard J. Henry Jr. has worked in the long term care sector for more than 25 years and is a member of the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) and a Certified Fellow. He has been a licensed nursing home administrator in six states and holds a current license in Massachusetts. He is also a certified risk manager through the American Society of Healthcare Risk Managers (ASHRM). Ric has provided training on risk assessment and management, quality assurance and liability issues in more than 20 states and overseas.

He has presented instruction to the New York State Bar Association on nursing home liability and has presented risk management approaches to underwriters at Lloyds of London in London, England for the past five years. Ric is an owner and managing partner of Pendulum, LLC, a risk management firm serving the healthcare industry.

Fire and Life-Safety, Inc.

Stan Szpytek, President
www.FLSafety.org

Stan Szpytek is the president of Fire and Life-Safety, Inc. (FLS) based in Mesa, Arizona. FLS is a consulting firm that provides loss control, risk management and emergency preparedness programs for businesses of all types with special focus on senior housing and healthcare facilities.

Stan is a former deputy fire chief and fire marshal from the Chicago area. He served the community for 26 years and honorably retired in 2003. His firm's assessment and training programs are designed to assist businesses and organizations with disaster planning and recovery programs that will help ensure enterprise-wide viability during a crisis.

Sorensen, Wilder & Associates

Steve Wilder, President
www.swa4safety.com

Sorensen, Wilder & Associates (SWA) is a consortium of consultants organized to create a multi-disciplinary team to provide safety, security and risk management services and support throughout the healthcare industry. SWA's team of experienced executives come from a variety of backgrounds—legal, consulting, risk management, fire services, disaster management, safety and security, hospital administration, EMS administration, long term care, government, business and engineering. They also have combined experience in programs for hospitals, nursing homes, physician practices, home health care services, occupational health and wellness and pre-hospital services.

Steve Wilder, President and Chief Operating Officer of SWA, has spent the past 25 years in healthcare safety, security and risk management. He has provided consultation services to hundreds of clients, including government, schools, manufacturing, retailing, healthcare and industry. In his healthcare career, Mr. Wilder has served as Director of Risk Management, Director of Safety and Facility Management and as Corporate Director of Safety and Security.

An experienced trial expert, Mr. Wilder has consulted for law firms and insurance companies on issues of healthcare safety, security, risk management, aggression management and workplace violence. He is the author of the book The Essentials of Aggression Management in Healthcare and also writes safety columns for several healthcare magazines and trade journals.

More information on Sorensen, Wilder & Associates:

• Workplace Violence Brochure
• Aggression Management
• Disaster Management Brochure
• Healthcare Brochure
• Hospital Terrorism
• Workplace Violence Program
• Street Safety for the Traveling Nurse Program
• Desktop Security Audits

A.J. Chianca & Associates

Tony Chianca, President

A.J. Chianca & Associates is a consortium of independent professionals organized to create a multi-disciplinary team providing healthcare management services and disaster preparedness planning assistance and support throughout the healthcare industry. The team of highly experienced consultants come from a variety of backgrounds—legal, disaster management, hospital administration and emergency medicine, EMS administration, long term care management and nursing, insurance, general business management, business continuity planning, grant writing and the military—and have a combined experience in management, disaster planning, response, recovery, mitigation and training.

A.J. Chianca & Associates' mission is to provide their clients with the tools, programs, resources and support needed that will ensure the highest level of readiness to preserve and improve the delivery of healthcare services on a continuing basis as part of their day-to-day operation as well as during times of extreme emergencies and impending disaster; to ensure their compliance to federal, state and local mandates; and to contribute to the continuation of the successful operation of their business.

Advance Catastrophe Technologies, Inc. (ACT)

Jeff Chester, Vice President
www.actcat.com

When disaster strikes we're there to put your world back together! Advance Catastrophe Technologies, Inc. (ACT), a leader in disaster response, delivers rapid emergency stabilization and turnkey service to your damaged facilities within minutes for any kind of disaster.

You need minimal disruption in your residents' lives and you want immediate response to reduce further property damage at the lowest possible cost. Our certified staff and cutting-edge technology will provide disaster recovery and restoration services from...

• Water. ACT will restore your property to pre-loss condition due to water damage from broker or frozen pipes, sprinkler head breaks, toilet overflows, bathtub overflows, storm damage from hurricanes, tornados, wind, ice, roof leaks and any other water related damage.
• Fire and Smoke. ACT will restore your property due to fire or smoke damage. Our services include cleanup of smoke and soot, dry down due to water damage from extinguishing the fire, content cleaning and storage, document and data restoration.
• Mold. ACT can assist your staff as needed to resolve any microbial issues.
• Storm. ACT responds to damage due to hurricanes, tornados, ice or wind.